Issue date: 3/28/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Courtesy of Picturehouse [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Jocelyn McGregor [Click to enlarge]

There comes a time in most people's lives when they just want to better themselves. For Dennis (Simon Pegg), the chance to prove to everyone and himself that he could actually accomplish something was by running the Nike River Marathon.

"Run Fatboy Run" starts out with Dennis running away from his wedding and his pregnant bride Libby (Thandie Newton). Five years later, Dennis tries to win Libby back when Whit (Hank Azaria) comes into her life. Whit is competition because he's successful, athletic and plans on running a charity marathon. This gives Dennis reason to shape up and as he does so, he learns a lot about himself.

The movie had a very predictable plot. Dennis is in love with Libby. Libby has another love interest. Her love interest turns out to be a jerk. Guess what's going to happen next?

Nonetheless, the film was enjoyable to watch. Despite it being predictable, it was funny. There were some nude scenes that were unnecessary - especially coming from Dennis' best friend Gordan (Dylan Moran) but that only added to the humor of it.

The characters of the film had a good sense of dry humor. Simon Pegg ("Shaun of the Dead") did a good job of making his character seem very ordinary and real. His character had an ordinary job as a security guard in a women's clothing store. He was a great dad to his son even though he made mistakes from time to time - such as not buying tickets before taking him to his favorite movie. (Of course the tickets were sold out.) He was just an average guy who didn't have a lot of luck on his side.

Thandie Newton was radiant on the screen. She didn't have any good lines and didn't really bring much to her character but she looked fabulous. The unrealistic thing about her character was that she always looked so good for someone with such a busy schedule. Her outfits, her hair and her makeup were flawless throughout the movie. Mothers viewing the movie would be envious of such perfection.

One of the most amusing characters in the film was Gordan, who was Dennis' best friend and Libby's cousin. He could say the funniest things with such a straight face. He was a shocker because he would look fully clothed but the camera would show a full shot of him and his behind would be on the screen. It was unexpected so you couldn't help but look - and it wasn't a pretty sight either.

A character who would have been better if played by someone else was Whit. Hank Azaria wasn't funny or witty enough for the role of Whit. He was supposed to be this rich, suave guy who wins Libby's heart but Azaria just didn't seem to fit the part. Instead, his character was just dull.

The film wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. It was enjoyable to see the bond between father and son and the self-motivation of a man but it seemed to be lacking something that could have made it better. The funny parts were wonderfully played out but all of the inbetween scenes were just kind of blah. There was too much talking and not enough happening. The movie ran for about an hour and a half but it felt longer.

David Schwimmer, better known as Ross from "Friends," directed the film. Overall, he did a decent job being behind the camera. "Run Fatboy Run" is worth a watch -perhaps more so on DVD than on the big screen.

Tyhani Yang can be reached at tyang@statehornet.com

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